Room for Rent
by LauraRoslinForever
Summary: This is a product of the prompt on Twitter by Imagine OQ, "Regina places an ad for a roommate and Robin responds. He's moving to the states from England the same weekend she's out of town. She leaves a key under the mat for him and agrees to him moving in while she's away but when she returns she realizes Robin is actually a man. An Attractive man."


_Author's note: Hey, yeah another one. The joys of not having a day job. Okay, so this is going to be another multi-fic and by the time you finish it you'll understand why it's gonna be a looooong slow burn. So, I hope y'all like those. I know this first chapter's a shorty, but I got more in store soon. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

His options were limited, to say the least.

Moving to America on not much more than a week and a half's notice didn't leave one with much time to secure a decent place to live or be entirely picky.

He needed to find something quickly. The job he'd gotten just yesterday wanted him to be there no later than the beginning of June and it was already the nineteenth of May. His friend, Will, suggested he post an ad on Craigslist. Sitting in front of his laptop, he wasn't quite sure what he should write. Single man from the UK seeks cheap room for rent with a roommate who does not mind sports or beer, or a lonely bastard who may or may not have a child soon, might not convey the right message.

Groaning he sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes with his fingers. Christ, he was pathetic.

He was left with no choice, really. Marian had left. She had gone to America to live with her uncle Richard and attend graduate school, taking not only his heart along with her but his child as well. He begged her not to go. He said they could work things out between them, he wanted to marry her, settle down somewhere in London, but she'd been adamant that she wanted a different life, a new life, in America. It wasn't until she was gone did he find out this new life of hers was with a woman.

If that wasn't a blow to the ego he didn't know what was.

He thought she was happy. He thought _they_ were happy. They'd been together for five years. He'd been there for her when her parents died, and she'd seen him through his father's battle with cancer (he'd been in remission for the last two years now, thankfully). They'd moved in together, talked to one another, had amazing sex, he really thought she was the one. He thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with her.

That was until he came home from work and found all her things gone. Just like that she'd left without a word.

She never told him she was pregnant. It was only by chance that he heard about it when he'd run into her friend Nimue leaving work not a month after she left. She had been more than happy to tell him about the baby.

"It's not right," she had said to him, looking up at him with her pity-filled green eyes, while the rain poured down around them, "I was going to ring you. I told her she needed to tell you at least, but you know her."

Yes, unfortunately, he did know Marian. Which was exactly why he was planning this insane move to America. She could run off, be with someone else, he didn't care, but if she was pregnant with his child, by God, she would not keep their child from him. And if she didn't want it, she could give up her rights and he would take responsibility and be the best father he could.

He just had to get there.

Starting his ad, he led with his better qualities, (clean, responsible, respectable), his profession (marine biologist), and a list of things he'd like to have in a roommate and place to live. He preferred if the room was furnished, but reasoned he could always buy a bed if he had to. He wanted someone that was neat and clean. Sure, he was a man, but he didn't want to live with a slob or have to clean up after one. He preferred a place in the city. He looked at the Portland area over the last few days and found there were many outlying suburbs. Since the job he'd gotten was directly downtown, and with only relying on public transportation, he preferred not to commute or be as close as possible at any rate.

Once he was satisfied, Robin hit "post" and let out a deep exhale. Getting to his feet, he went to take a shower before bed. Hopefully he'd get a response in the next few days.

When he woke the next morning, it was to a string of replies. Most of them he deleted. Only one replied with her own background, a questionnaire, and how soon he could move in.

He replied to her immediately and was surprised when she emailed him back only minutes later. They traded emails over the next hour and by the time he finished his second cup of coffee, he had a place to live. His new roommate, Regina Mills, was going to be out of town for the first week of his stay but she would leave him a key with the landlord.

This was all working out better than he thought.

* * *

Her roommate had gone and gotten married.

It wasn't planned. They'd been on a trip together, at Disneyland no less and just like that, in front of the stupid castle, David got down on one knee and proposed. Her irritatingly romantically inclined roommate was beside herself. After only knowing this man for three months, she said yes, instead of waiting. Rather than being engaged for a while and getting to know one another, they went and eloped three days later, right there in the _Happiest Place on Earth_.

If it wasn't so ridiculous, she'd laugh.

The very idea of marriage made her nauseous. She was engaged once when she was younger and didn't know any better. Didn't know how quickly things could change, how easily the person you loved could be there one moment and gone the next. That's why when her fiance passed away, three weeks before they would be married, she told herself never again. Never did she want to experience the pain of losing someone she loved again.

And it wasn't just because of losing Daniel, it was the institution of marriage that she hated. Watching her parent's divorce had given Regina a glimpse into the realities of marriage. The deceit, the controlling manipulation, and the adultery. All of them done by her mother against her father, until one day her father decided he'd had enough and walked away. Not only from her mother but from Regina as well.

So, as far as her trust in men went, it was few and far between. Some people, like her shrink, would call her cold and distant, she would call it self-preservation.

Her opinions on marriage by no means meant that Regina lived her life as a nun. She and Jefferson had been together for three years now. He knew about her issues, about her feelings toward marriage and romance. And the best part, Jefferson was just as cold and detached as she was. She wouldn't call what they had love, more of a mutual understanding. They were companions. Both of them residents at OHSU. She a general dermatologist, and he in pediatric dermatology. He had a bit of a softer spot for the kids but she forgave him for it. He understood her hours, her moods, and her appetite for sex. She didn't want romance or candles, flowers or emotional sentiments. A seemingly good match, as Jefferson was just as disinterested in romantic love as she.

What they had worked.

She surmised with Mary Margaret moving out, it would now give her the opportunity to find someone more her own speed, someone who didn't bring home glitter, and unicorn stickers from work.

Page after page of listings hours upon hours of searching and she had issues with everyone who applied. However, with her upcoming trip to see her mother and sister in two days, she'd rather just find someone and have them move in while she was gone. That way she wouldn't have to be inconvenienced by the clutter and mess that comes with moving in.

When she came across the ad on Craigslist, she was immediately impressed by the attention to detail. So she wrote her standard reply and along with it, sent a few questions (twenty), then put her phone on the counter and went to take a shower before bed.

She smiled when she returned, seeing the applicant had already responded. Whoever this person was, they were not only detailed oriented but prompt, too. It scored them major points for sure. Glancing over the answers to her questions, none of which were actual deal breakers, she sent a few more questions. She mostly asked about their job details, inquiring about schedules and how often they would work.

Once she was satisfied, she offered the room. Should she have done a background check? Probably. Should she have requested to meet this person first? Absolutely. But she was going to leave that up to Jefferson.

He would meet with Robin the following week and be at the apartment to make sure she didn't rob her blind while Regina was spending her time in New York _not_ enjoying her trip, and remembering why she moved as far away as she could. In the meantime, she was thankful she had one less thing to worry about.


End file.
